Booker’s Bourbon Debuts Latest Release, ‘Apprentice Batch’

The second Booker’s Bourbon release of 2023 is Apprentice Batch. (Photo: Booker’s Bourbon)

Booker’s Bourbon, a line of whiskeys under the James B. Beam brand traditionally launched by the Noe family, has unveiled its latest release: Booker’s 2023-02: Apprentice Batch.

Aged for seven years, one month and two days, Apprentice Batch is bottled at 125.5 proof. It was selected by seventh-generation master distiller Fred Noe — Booker Noe’s son.

Booker’s “Apprentice Batch” is available nationwide in limited quantities. It has a suggested retail price of $89.99 per 750-milliliter bottle.

The batch is an ode to the early portion of former Beam master distiller Booker Noe’s career. Shortly after joining the Jim Beam Distillery in 1952, Noe learned under the tutelage of his cousin, Carl Beam.

“Carl was in charge and didn’t put up with any foolishness – he always made sure Booker was set straight,” according to Booker’s. “But even if Booker did mess around sometimes, he was a fast learner and was ready to be put to work, which quickly got him Carl’s approval.”

Beam and Noe — master and apprentice — worked on a new distillery in Boston, Kentucky once Jim Beam purchased it in 1954. Eventually, Carl Beam handed the reins over to Noe, and the location was later named the Booker Noe Distillery.

Apprentice Batch is the second Booker’s release of 2023, following Charlie’s Batch, which Beam dropped in April.

Booker’s 2023-02: Apprentice Batch Tasting Notes, Via the Brand

Color: Medium amber

Nose: Pleasant, oak-forward aroma balanced with vanilla and toasted nuts

Taste: Warm and opens up further with small touch of water.

Finish: Long finish that does not overpower the tasting experience.

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